Random thoughts from a severe preeclampsia survivor and two time NICU mom who passionately believes in helping to find a cure for her daughters' genetic disorder: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

School Update

Gosh, I haven't done an update in quite a long time. We just attended parent/teacher conferences for both of the girls a few days ago. Here is a little of what we learned about each of them from their teachers:

GraceWhen we first arrived at the conference, Grace was with us. The teacher gave Grace some instructions in German, and it was so incredible to see her rapidly understand his words. Gracie has been doing quite well in first grade thus far. Her teacher, Herr Hasse, told us that she is a leader in the classroom, and that he likes it when she volunteers to work on something in front of the class at the chalkboard. He feels that the kids learn better from each other rather than from just listening to him teach all day long. Honestly, I was a little surprised (but secretly beaming with pride) to hear him say this because Grace has always been one to shy away from attention. Yet I suppose she would want to help others because that is her basic nature. Overall, she got a great report, and he also indicated that Grace's handwriting has much improved since the beginning of the year. I was glad to hear that since her fine motor control has always been an issue for her. Charlie bought her several pencil grips to help with her finger position while using a pencil. That seems to have helped her. :) YAY

MeghanMeghan was so proud to have us find out how she was doing in K4. "I'm a good gurl in K4, Mom." Frau Savignac tells that Meghan has adjusted well to her new surroundings at the German School. She reports that Meghan is following directions appropriately and has participated in the class well. She is making friends now too. She frequently mentions Sophia and Emma, who her teacher tells us are just as "peanuty small" as Meghan. :) I asked if Meghan was using German words, and Frau S. told us that she uses some at the appropriate times. The primary goal of K4 is to acclimate to the German language and acquire vocabulary. Meghan will need to know her numbers from 1-10, colors, and work on writing her first name in upper and lower letters. Overall, she is doing well. :) YAY

So, there were no surprises. This mama likes it when there are no surprises.